A Wooden Box
by islashlove
Summary: Castiel is dying. Sam may have found away to save him, but they need Castiel to give an honest answer to a few simple questions. This story isn't slash, but does have the shows undertone for it.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is from Supernatural**

**Beta: Yes, I would like to say thank you to my Beta jerseybelle**

**Warning: This story isn't slash, but does have the show's undertone for it. **

**Author's Notes: This story has been done for a word challenge on FanFiction .net Writers Unite. The word is 'Christmas'. **

**Story Notes: Castiel is dying. Sam may have found a way to save him, but they need Castiel to give an honest answer to a few simple questions.**

**A Wooden Box**

**Chapter 1: Full of Feathers**

"Damn it, Sam! Cas can't die. Especially not today. Not on Christmas day," Dean whispered as he lent over the desk where Sam was sitting.

Sam looked up from the book his head was in. Seeing the pain in Dean's eyes, Sam gave Castiel a quick glance. The angel's stolen grace was fading fast. Even from this distance, Sam could see that Castiel wasn't doing well. His skin was pale and his breathing was shallow and laboured.

Looking back at Dean, Sam took in a deep breath. "I know, Dean, but he is refusing to take any more grace, even though the angels are offering it to him. And...I'm doing my best, but without 'his' grace, there isn't anything we can do."

"And how do we get his grace. There is no way he will let Metatron free and Metatron is the only one who knows if there is any of Cas's grace is left."

"Well...I may have found another way, but ..."

"But …?"

Sam pressed his lips together. He was just as desperate to save their friend as Dean was, but the way Dean is behaving, anyone would think his own life was on the line. Shaking his head, Sam looked back into the book in front of him.

"It seems that all we need is a drop, just a drop, of Cas's grace to restore him. It's finding some that's the problem."

"Great!" Dean said in a louder voice, making Sam to jump a little and look at him with annoyance. But the gleam of hope in Dean's eyes, quelled Sam's frustration. "So, where do we find Cas's grace?"

"It can be found in anything that is part of Cas. So...anywhere he touched and left skin cells, a hair ..."

"Feathers?"

"Sure, if they are from Castiel, his feathers would hold a lot more grace then the rest of the stuff I listed since they are actually the angel part of him and the rest are part of Jimmy's body. But we still need to find feathers that are his."

"I think I have some, but...I'm not sure."

"Ok, so how do we test them?"

"I don't think we have the time," Dean said looking back at the angel lying on their couch, his eyes, partly closed. But Dean could tell that Cas was still with them and awake. "I need to ask Cas a question. It will tell us whether or not the feather's I have are his. Keep an eye on him, I just need to get something."

Sam just nodded in agreement and as Dean disappeared upstairs where bedrooms were, Sam walked over to Cas. Sitting down on the seat that Dean had been using when he was watching Cas, Sam carefully took the cloth out of the cool water, wrung it out and placed it against Cas's forehead.

Meanwhile, upstairs Dean went to the shelf above his bed. Carefully, he took down a small wooden box. It was carved with strange patterns all over it. Lifting the lid, he looked in and smiled when what he was looking for was still inside. Closing the lid again, Dean raced back down to where Sam was sitting with Cas, grabbing a chair as he passed. Sitting down, Dean placed the wooden box on his lap.

Sam eyed the box off. As far back as he could remember, Dean had always had that box. He never talked about it or let Sam touch it. Out of everything that Dean cared about, this box was always there, yet, compared to everything he owned, the box was so...different.

"I need to ask him that question, Sam, now!"

Taking a deep breath, Sam reached over and gently shook Cas. When Cas opened his eyes, the once crystal blue was gone, only a pale grey stared at them now.

"Sorry, Cas, but...Dean has a question for you." Sam could see the confusion in Castiel's eyes, so he continued to explain. "We think we have a way to restore 'YOUR' grace to you, but it will all depend on your answer. Do you understand?"

"I do, but there is no way to restore my grace. It's gone."

"Wrong, anything that you touched, a hair you loss, long before you lost your grace…there is still a chance that it still has your grace in it," Sam explained.

"And you have something like that?" Cas asked as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

Sam and Dean helped Cas to sit up before Dean finally spoke. "That depends on you and your answer to my question."

"Then what is your question."

"When did you first start watching over me?"

"Dean, I ..."

"Damn it, Cas! Your life depends on your answer."

"Since the day you were conceived, Dean, and the same for you too, Sam."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I couldn't, Sam. Neither of you believed in angels and …"

"Did you ever visit us? Say like, on Christmas day?"

"Yes, every Christmas until we actually met. I even visited you, Dean, on the Christmas day before your birth. Why?"

"Because, that first Christmas day, our mother put this," Dean opened the box and took out a small figurine, "on the shelf in my nursery. His name, etched into the bottom of the trench coat, is Castiel." Sam's eyes opened wide when he realised that Dean was holding a figurine of an angel in a trench coat, halo, wings and all,

Castiel's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the small angel in Dean's hand.

"Dean...can, I ..." Sam stuttered as he reached out and carefully took the angel from Dean's hand. He wasn't lying, clear as day was the name, Castiel. He was holding a small copy of Castiel, in his hand.

"Dad said that just after Mum put it there, they both heard the sound of...what only he could describe as wings being flapped. But they couldn't see anything. After mum left, he noticed a white feather in my crib. He put it in this box to show me when I was older.

But from that day on, a feather was found on my pillow every Christmas and every year Dad would put the feather into the box. In fact, after the fire this box and the angel figurine were the only things that weren't touched by the flames in my room. Everything else burnt, or had smoke or water damage. But not these two things. When I was old enough, Dad told me about it and from that day on, any feather's I find on my bed have been kept in here, just like he did."

"And since you have just admitted that you has been visiting Dean since that first Christmas, there's a good chance that those feathers are yours, Cas."

"And so they have my grace still in them?"

"Yes, we need to put them back into your wings, and now!" Sam said as he watched Cas's eyes slide closed. Standing up, Sam shook Cas until his eyes opened again. "Come on, Cas. You need to put your wings out for us."

Cas weakly nodded, before one flash of lightening appeared and so did Cas's wings. Dean quickly handed Sam a hand full of feathers and he took one wing and Sam the other. They moved as quickly as they could, placing Cas's feather's back in. when finished they sat back down.

"Thank you, I know you tried. Dean, Sam, you were the best brothers I ever had. Thank you for letting me to be part of your family." With that, Cas's eyes closed.

"Cas! No! Come on, buddy, you can't do this. Please, Cas!"

"Dean," Sam said as he tried to pull Dean away. "I'm sorry, Dean. We were just...too late."

"But, Sam. He's been there for me my whole life and I ..."

Dean ..."

Dean watched as Sam's eyes grew wide, but they weren't looking at him, but behind him. Turning around, only to see that where Cas was sitting was now a bright light. When it went out, Castiel, with his crystal blue eyes, was sitting there watching them. Before either man could move, Castiel was next to them, his arms around them in a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you, you have saved me."

After getting over their shock, both Dean and Sam hugged Castiel back. They stayed there like that for a while, basking in the fact that they were a family and that they would do anything for each other.

**The End**

**Thank you for reading and for reviewing my story.**


End file.
